Happy May everyone! Can you believe we have been quarantining for two months now!? While it’s been a crazy time in my life, it’s allowed me plenty of time to read some books that have been on my “want to read” list for awhile now. The books I read this month were either books I owned or books I borrowed from my lovely neighbor. The libraries are still closed in Arizona so I will be reading as many borrowed books as I need to before this pandemic is over.
This month I read a book about finances, a book about getting your act together in your professional life, and two psychological thrillers. While thrillers aren’t typically my genre, I surprisingly ended up really enjoying these two. I hope you’ll like them just as much!
Book 1: Unshakeable by Tony Robbins
If I could recommend one book for 20-year-olds to read: it would be this one. I’m super grateful to have grown up in a home that taught me to be smart with my finances and investments, but that isn’t always the case. Unshakeable by Tony Robbins will walk you through how to thrive in the stock market, survive economy crashes (hello COVID), and profit from the environment so many people fear. While it feels unlikely today, there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is possible to be financially secure. Robbins teaches how to navigate tough economic times and break free from the struggle of finances. This book will show you opportunities to take advantage of and keep you from making mistakes in your financial life.
The book is broken into three sections. The first section explains basic money rules. He talks financial terms, the importance of investing in the stock market, market fluctuations, and lastly the hidden fees most of us end up paying, especially in our 401Ks. It’s super eye-opening! The next section (which was boring but important) is all about how to make investment decisions, navigate crashes, and the importance of avoiding financial loss. Then Section 3 goes into the psychology of wealth, essentially how and why you need to control your mind to not panic when the market tanks.
I encourage everyone to read this book as well as to get themselves a financial advisor to stay on top of your finances during this time. While it’s definitely not a fiction or fun read, it is an important book that could sincerely change your life.
Book 2: Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
Then She Was Gone is a psychological thriller that will pull you every which way. I can confidently say I thought I had the ending figured out in the first few chapters but boy was I wrong. Ellie is the golden girl of the family. She gets good grades, has a great boyfriend, and then one day just vanishes into thin air. Ten years later, Ellie’s mother, Laurel hasn’t stopped looking for her daughter. Her unwillingness to let go leads to a difficult relationship with her other daughter and a divorce from her husband. She refuses to lose hope that Ellie may return home one day.
While sitting in a cafe one afternoon, Laurel meets Floyd, a man who quickly sweeps her off her feet. They begin a relationship quickly and before they know it Laurel is spending all of her time with Floyd. Early in the budding romance, she meets Floyd’s 9-year-old daughter, Poppy, and can’t help but notice how eerily familiar she looks. Is she going crazy or does Poppy resemble what Ellie looked like at nine years old? Poppy reminds Laurel once more of all she’s lost in the last 10 years. What truly happened to Ellie and who is keeping secrets from her?
This book is an insanely quick read. The characters will have you hooked from the first three chapters until you close the book. Lisa Jewell does a phenomenal job making the reader feel all the feels. You understand the pain Laurel feels losing her daughter, and how she just wants to move past it by moving on with her life. The story is told in multiple points of view (even Ellie’s) allowing the reader to understand the complexity of several characters. Prepare yourself for a super dramatic ending and a twist you simply won’t see coming. All in all, I give this book 4/5 stars.
Book 3: The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
If you like thrillers like The Girl on the Train and The Flight Attendant for their unreliable narrators, fuzzy memories, and alcoholic traits, then this book will be your new favorite. I personally always find myself screaming at the pages telling them to “just set down the whiskey gosh darn it!” But, we wouldn’t have a killer story without a little craziness, right? A.J. Finn does a stellar job with the main character giving you no choice but to continue reading to understand what was imagined and what truly happened.
Anna Fox lives alone in New York, having separated from her husband and daughter. It is evident from the beginning pages that not only does Anna have a severe drinking problem but she also suffers from agoraphobia, leaving her housebound. Anna passes her day spying on her neighbors, watching movies, and helping others in online chat rooms. One night, wide awake and buzzed, she witnesses something traumatic happen in the house across the street. She reports what she sees but none of her answers are lining up and soon she is the one being questioned. Is she crazy? Did she hallucinate? Did she drink too much or take too many pills? The reader is left wondering what really happened and who can be trusted.
This thriller has an ending no one saw coming. The chapters fly by as you get closer and closer to learning the truth. We read this book in my book club and I can still remember getting a text when one of the girls read the plot twist. She was shocked and her texts came flooding in in all caps. It is mind-blowing! Also, this book is becoming a movie very very soon so make sure you read it before then! I give this book a solid 4/5 stars.
Book 4: Start. by Jon Acuff
“No one aims for average. No one sets out for status quo. No one longs for ordinary.” These are the words you first see when reading Jon Acuff’s book. If you’ve ever woken up and asked yourself “how did I get here?” then this book is 100% for you. It is the punch-you-in-the-gut kind of book you need to just simply start whatever you have been putting off. Want to become an entrepreneur? I did after reading this book! You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to start.
This book will give you the steps to get unstuck and get back on the path to becoming awesome. It used to be in your 20s you would learn, 30s you’d edit, 40’s you’d master, and on and on. But now that’s not the case. Technology has allowed people to build online empires at any age and change their lives. Jon Acuff believes there are two paths in every person’s life: average and awesome. This book is your typical motivational, get your booty of the couch style of book but it really impacted me while reading it. I realized that I was staying stagnant and not chasing all the dreams I’d laid our for myself years ago. After reading this book, I decided to start working in the right direction and to not let fear stop me. If you’re looking for actionable steps to living the life you always dreamed of, then read this book! I cannot recommend it enough! Totally a 5-star book!
There you have it guys – four more great reads for you to read while cooped up in your home. Let me know if you read any of these, and if you do what you thought about them. I’d love to hear your feedback! As always, I am constantly sharing what I’m currently reading over on my Instagram. Feel free to follow along and check out my “Book Club” highlights. I’ve got some exciting books coming up next month! See you then.